A different lens on startup investing: would I work for this founder?

March 14, 2024 2 min read

This post was originally posted on my Forbes column, here. In a recent podcast, I was recently asked what I look for in the founders I back? A heuristic I find particularly valuable is asking myself: in another world, would I work for this founder? In this post, I hope to help you to not only make better investment decisions, but also better startup employment ones too. Let’s discuss three specific questions I find valuable. 1. The Visionary Impact: How Inspired Am I By The Founder’s Vision? A founder’s vision is a startup’s north star, and compels investors, employees and clients to believe…...

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Alex Lazarow Alexandre Lazarow is a global venture capitalist and the Managing Partner of Fluent Ventures. He has invested in 7 unicorns. His portfolio includes Chime, Kin, Neon, Sidecar Health, Facily, FinAccel, ZenBusiness, Kueski, Clara, Xepelin, Kamino, Sabi, Brkz, Flychain, Terminal, among others. He previously was a Partner with Cathay Innovation, a Paris-based firm with $5b AUM that invests across Africa, Asia, Europe, and North America. Alex also worked with Omidyar Network, a philanthropic investment firm that has invested over a billion dollars in hundreds of startups around the world. Alex is the author of Out-Innovate: How Global Entrepreneurs - from Delhi to Detroit - Are Rewriting the Rules of Silicon Valley (Harvard Business Review Press). Out-Innovate has been translated to Korean, Chinese and Spanish so far. Alex is a Senior Contributor with Forbes, a columnist with Entrepreneur Magazine, and author of the newsletter [99%Tech]. Alex is an adjunct professor specializing in social impact investment and entrepreneurship at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Alex has also served as a strategy consultant with McKinsey & Co., a financial regulator with the Bank of Canada, and an M&A investment banker with the Royal Bank of Canada. He is a Kauffman Fellow, CFA Charterholder, and CFR Term Member. He earned an MBA from Harvard Business School and a B.Comm from the University of Manitoba. Get in touch: - Fund: fluent.vc - Speaking website: alexlazarow.com - Newsletter: https://99tech.alexlazarow.com/ - Book: https://amzn.to/3306fcr - Twitter: https://twitter.com/Alex_Lazarow

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A different lens on startup investing: would I work for this founder?

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